Neutron star on edge of Milky Way found by NASA after supernova explosion | Science | News

The monstrous remains of a collapsed star stunned astronomers back on Earth who observed it for the first time on x-ray, radio and optical wavelengths.

NASA’s space boffins tracked the neutron star to the Small Magellanic Cloud, some 200,000 light years from Earth – 1,892,146,094,516,160,000km.

The scientists have now revealed the rare stellar object, dubbed E0102, is of particular interest because it has a low magnetic field and no stellar companion.

Neutron stars are formed when star bigger than the sun collapse on themselves towards the end of their lifespans.

The collapsing stars then spectacularly erupt into a supernova.

NASA claims supernova blasts as the single biggest explosion to take place in space.

Data collected by the Chandra telescope suggests E0102 formed some time about two millennia ago.

In a statement, NASA’s experts said: “Chandra observations of E0102 show that the supernova remnant is dominated by a large ring-shaped structure in X-rays, associated with the blast wave of the supernova.

“The new MUSE data revealed a smaller ring of gas that is expanding more slowly than the blast wave.

“At the centre of this ring is a blue point-like source of X-rays.

“Together, the small ring and point source act like a celestial bull’s eye.”

The US space agency said oxygen-rich supernova remnants like the neutron star are important for understanding how giant stars fuse lighter elements into heavier ones just before they erupt.

NASA said E0102’s x-ray signatures are similar to those of two other oxygen-rich supernova remnants – Cassiopeia A and Puppies B.